Teresa Mosqueda has been a citywide Seattle City Councilmember since 2018. Before her time on the Council, Mosqueda was political and strategic campaign director of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and also worked at the state Department of Health and for the nonprofit Children’s Alliance. Her priorities as a King County Councilmember include increasing funding and support for Public Health Seattle/King County; addressing gun violence and other violence as public health issues; increasing access to behavioral health services and improving wage parity for human-services workers; increasing affordable workforce housing in District 8; supporting and increasing supportive housing; creating incentives to build affordable housing throughout the region by promoting density and greenspace; promoting universally accessible and affordable child care; increasing access to public transit; and investing in vocational training to promote living-wage jobs in King County. So far, Mosqueda has raisedat least $148,000 and has spent more than $117,400 for her campaign.
What is your top policy priority for addressing homelessness in King County? How would you pay for these efforts?
We know the solutions for homelessness, and while there are many ways we can better meet people’s needs and curb displacement and homelessness, the biggest and most impactful way we can do this is through housing — permanently affordable housing and supportive housing services.
Although we have made important progress building more units of affordable housing over the last six years while I was in office — quadrupling the affordable housing investments largely through JumpStart Progressive Payroll Tax — our housing supply has not caught up with the growing population and the growing need for more affordable units. By the year 2050, our region needs around 418,000 new housing units. Right now the average cost of a home is around $800,000. We need resources to build housing and more inclusive zoning throughout our region to allow for the creation of missing middle housing and affordable units. We also need more emergency housing options to provide non-congregate shelter options to those experiencing homelessness while we build housing units.
I will continue to be a housing champion to build bridges between housing advocates, businesses, labor, and King County communities and local jurisdictions to put additional dollars into action to provide greater housing stability across our region. With my proven track-record of collaboration and record delivering on housing investments, we will make progress on safe, stable, and affordable housing for all by:
- Building faster and with greater urgency by expediting permitting to build more housing, especially for Built Green standards and those who apply community benefit agreements and high workforce/labor standards.
- Working in partnership with local jurisdictions to rezone to allow for building a more inclusive, equitable, affordable city by permitting and promoting diverse housing options, especially in high-opportunity access areas close to grocery stores, schools, transit options and parks.
- Providing renter and small landlord financial help through rental assistance, small landlord supports, and other rent-stabilization efforts to prevent more people from losing their home in the wake of the pandemic and due to the ongoing housing affordability state of emergency
- Spending and authorizing new funding for strategic housing acquisition including purchasing multifamily buildings, apartments, hotels to allow for diverse, affordable housing options.
What is your opinion about the proposal to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated King County?
I support it! Increasing the minimum wage is crucial for our community to allow residents to be able to live where in neighborhoods of their choosing, to live close to where they work, go to school, can access public goods like parks, and much more. This is important for the health of our community and the health of our economy—we need to create economic viability that pulls up those who have least. When our workers prosper, we all prosper. It’s good for small businesses as well - when lower wage workers have more money in their pocket they spend it in their local economy and create greater economic activity. Increased minimum wages also support small business owners with greater stability and productivity by reducing turnover. I support King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay on the proposal to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated King County.
In the halls of our state Capital, I advocated for increasing the minimum wage and passing sick leave for four years with a broad coalition. When that didn’t pass, I helped draft and pass Initiative 1433 to raise the minimum wage in Washington State as well as providing seven days of paid sick leave for all workers. I have been on the front lines fighting for increases to the minimum wage, and wholly support a minimum wage increase for King County as well.
Traffic and transportation are ongoing issues in King County. What should be the council’s transportation policy priorities?
When thinking about the top priorities for King County Metro, it’s important to me to center the needs of the people who make our systems run: the drivers. The concerns of the Amalgamated Transit Union must be addressed by paying drivers a living wage; increasing affordability near transit hubs so drivers, mechanics, and other staff can meet the requirements of the job; and supporting other concerns and ideas from the ATU. We also need green vehicles and more ergonomic vehicles to support worker safety and physical health. When we support the workforce needs, it supports a robust, reliable public transit system that can serve our community and grow ridership. By supporting workers we will have more reliable and robust transit service in our communities that are experiencing challenges due to not enough bus drivers.
Some top priorities include:
- Ensuring drivers make a living wage, have healthcare and retirement benefits, have a voice on the job, and they’re safe on the job;
- Addressing the climate crisis and approaching environmental protections through an environmental justice framework;
- Improving mobility and accessibility;
- Supporting equitable, transit-oriented communities.
I look forward to supporting these investments to stabilize our transit system while we also invest in TOD by partnering with local jurisdictions and sound transit to make sure sound transit expansion comes with transit oriented affordable housing, childcare, and services. TOD reduces the need for long commutes and creates more access to transportation investments. The County can play a role in supporting needed investments in street safety in unincorporated areas—sidewalks, bike lanes—to ensure greater mobility and equity and create better connections for people walking and biking to transit within surrounding communities. That’s the vision — a connected system for all Ages, Languages, Ethnicities, Genders, Race, and Abilities (ALEGRA!).
Teresa Mosqueda
Teresa Mosqueda has been a citywide Seattle City Councilmember since 2018. Before her time on the Council, Mosqueda was political and strategic campaign director of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and also worked at the state Department of Health and for the nonprofit Children’s Alliance. Her priorities as a King County Councilmember include increasing funding and support for Public Health Seattle/King County; addressing gun violence and other violence as public health issues; increasing access to behavioral health services and improving wage parity for human-services workers; increasing affordable workforce housing in District 8; supporting and increasing supportive housing; creating incentives to build affordable housing throughout the region by promoting density and greenspace; promoting universally accessible and affordable child care; increasing access to public transit; and investing in vocational training to promote living-wage jobs in King County. So far, Mosqueda has raisedat least $148,000 and has spent more than $117,400 for her campaign.
What is your top policy priority for addressing homelessness in King County? How would you pay for these efforts?
We know the solutions for homelessness, and while there are many ways we can better meet people’s needs and curb displacement and homelessness, the biggest and most impactful way we can do this is through housing — permanently affordable housing and supportive housing services.
Although we have made important progress building more units of affordable housing over the last six years while I was in office — quadrupling the affordable housing investments largely through JumpStart Progressive Payroll Tax — our housing supply has not caught up with the growing population and the growing need for more affordable units. By the year 2050, our region needs around 418,000 new housing units. Right now the average cost of a home is around $800,000. We need resources to build housing and more inclusive zoning throughout our region to allow for the creation of missing middle housing and affordable units. We also need more emergency housing options to provide non-congregate shelter options to those experiencing homelessness while we build housing units.
I will continue to be a housing champion to build bridges between housing advocates, businesses, labor, and King County communities and local jurisdictions to put additional dollars into action to provide greater housing stability across our region. With my proven track-record of collaboration and record delivering on housing investments, we will make progress on safe, stable, and affordable housing for all by:
- Building faster and with greater urgency by expediting permitting to build more housing, especially for Built Green standards and those who apply community benefit agreements and high workforce/labor standards.
- Working in partnership with local jurisdictions to rezone to allow for building a more inclusive, equitable, affordable city by permitting and promoting diverse housing options, especially in high-opportunity access areas close to grocery stores, schools, transit options and parks.
- Providing renter and small landlord financial help through rental assistance, small landlord supports, and other rent-stabilization efforts to prevent more people from losing their home in the wake of the pandemic and due to the ongoing housing affordability state of emergency
- Spending and authorizing new funding for strategic housing acquisition including purchasing multifamily buildings, apartments, hotels to allow for diverse, affordable housing options.
What is your opinion about the proposal to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated King County?
I support it! Increasing the minimum wage is crucial for our community to allow residents to be able to live where in neighborhoods of their choosing, to live close to where they work, go to school, can access public goods like parks, and much more. This is important for the health of our community and the health of our economy—we need to create economic viability that pulls up those who have least. When our workers prosper, we all prosper. It’s good for small businesses as well - when lower wage workers have more money in their pocket they spend it in their local economy and create greater economic activity. Increased minimum wages also support small business owners with greater stability and productivity by reducing turnover. I support King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay on the proposal to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated King County.
In the halls of our state Capital, I advocated for increasing the minimum wage and passing sick leave for four years with a broad coalition. When that didn’t pass, I helped draft and pass Initiative 1433 to raise the minimum wage in Washington State as well as providing seven days of paid sick leave for all workers. I have been on the front lines fighting for increases to the minimum wage, and wholly support a minimum wage increase for King County as well.
Traffic and transportation are ongoing issues in King County. What should be the council’s transportation policy priorities?
When thinking about the top priorities for King County Metro, it’s important to me to center the needs of the people who make our systems run: the drivers. The concerns of the Amalgamated Transit Union must be addressed by paying drivers a living wage; increasing affordability near transit hubs so drivers, mechanics, and other staff can meet the requirements of the job; and supporting other concerns and ideas from the ATU. We also need green vehicles and more ergonomic vehicles to support worker safety and physical health. When we support the workforce needs, it supports a robust, reliable public transit system that can serve our community and grow ridership. By supporting workers we will have more reliable and robust transit service in our communities that are experiencing challenges due to not enough bus drivers.
Some top priorities include:
- Ensuring drivers make a living wage, have healthcare and retirement benefits, have a voice on the job, and they’re safe on the job;
- Addressing the climate crisis and approaching environmental protections through an environmental justice framework;
- Improving mobility and accessibility;
- Supporting equitable, transit-oriented communities.
I look forward to supporting these investments to stabilize our transit system while we also invest in TOD by partnering with local jurisdictions and sound transit to make sure sound transit expansion comes with transit oriented affordable housing, childcare, and services. TOD reduces the need for long commutes and creates more access to transportation investments. The County can play a role in supporting needed investments in street safety in unincorporated areas—sidewalks, bike lanes—to ensure greater mobility and equity and create better connections for people walking and biking to transit within surrounding communities. That’s the vision — a connected system for all Ages, Languages, Ethnicities, Genders, Race, and Abilities (ALEGRA!).
